Journal Press India^®

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The study explores the communication of sustainable practices and environmental certifications (ECS) on the official websites of 20 classified hotels from four major tourist districts of HP namely Shimla, Kullu, Kangra and Solan. The research is conducted using Triple Bottom Line (TBL) framework, employing a qualitative, multiple-case design combined with systematic website content analysis (May–September 2025), designed to examine digital sustainability communication patterns across 5-star, 4-star and 3-star hotels. The results show a starkly different sustainability picture, with much of the compliance-driven and verifiable sustainability message being delivered with luxury properties, whereas a high number of properties from the mid-scale and independent category are Green Hushing, under-communicating the more genuine and locally based sustainability efforts, because of the perceived cost and complexity of formal certification. Infrastructural constraints related to the system and specific to the Himalayan region, like solid waste management and labour seasonality, are recognized as significant implementation constraints. It concludes that using costly worldwide standardized certification schemes is excluding real, context-specific sustainability initiatives, and proposes measures in favour of locally adapted, low-cost certification processes for mountain tourism systems.

Keywords

Green Hushing; Environmental Certification; Sustainable Tourism; Himachal Pradesh; Hotel Industry

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